PKS wins in low turnout Depok polls

PKS wins in low turnout Depok polls

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Muslim scholar Nur Mahmudi Ismail has been announced as the
winner of the mayoral election in the fast-developing Depok.

Depok General Elections Commission (KPUD) chairman Zulfadli
said Nur Mahmudi, who was nominated by the Justice Party (PKS),
won in five of six districts in Depok. The district of Sawangan
was won by Golkar Party candidate Badrul Kamal.

"We have finished counting the votes from all the districts.
We will hold a plenary meeting as soon as possible and announce
the results officially," Zulfadli told The Jakarta Post.

Zulfadli said 549,310 people, or roughly 60 percent of the
908,890 registered voters in the districts of Beji, Sawangan,
Limo, Cimanggis, Sukmajaya and Pancoran Mas, voted in the June 26
polls, the first direct mayoral election in Depok.

He said former forestry minister Nur Mahmudi received 232,610
votes, or 43 percent of the votes cast. Badrul, a former Depok
mayor, was trailing behind with 206,781 votes, or 38 percent of
the vote.

Three other candidates -- Abdul Wahab of the Democratic Party,
Harun Heryana of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Yus
Ruswandi of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
-- split 84,494 votes, while 19,503 ballots were declared
invalid.

Nur Mahmudi, according to Zulfadli, was the top vote-getter in
the districts of Beji, Cimanggis, Lemo, Sukmajaya and Pancoran.

Around 908,890 of Depok's 1.2 million residents were eligible
to vote at 1,923 polling stations across the municipality.

Nur Mahmudi's running mate was fellow PKS activist Yuyun
Wirasaputra, while Badrul's running mate was Syihabuddin of the
National Awakening Party (PKB).

Nur Mahmudi was a minister of forestry during the
administration of president Abdurrahman Wahid from 1999 to 2001.
He is a popular Muslim intellectual and a former president of the
Justice Party (PK), which evolved into the PKS. He is now a
lecturer at the Bogor Agriculture Institute.

The PKS dominated the legislative election in Depok in 2004,
winning 24.49 percent of the vote.

The defeated mayoral candidates visited Nur Mahmudi on
Thursday to offer him their congratulations and to pledge their
support in making Depok a better city.

Zulfadli welcomed the gesture and expressed hope this would
cool the tensions that had been running high in the municipality
since Monday, when supporters of one of the defeated candidates
demanded a revote.

"I think they showed they have big hearts and are good
politicians. All of us have to accept the results of the
election. We have conducted the elections in a fair and
transparent manner. Any complaints should be reported to Panwaslu
(the Election Monitoring Body)," he said.

Meanwhile, dozens of Badrul's supporters rallied in front of
the Depok Council on Thursday to demand a revote, claiming the
June 26 election was rigged.

The protesters then moved on to the KPUD office on Jl.
Sawangan.